Building A Chicken Coop Review

How To Build A Chicken Coop 6 Suggestions

I finally found the best plans to build a chicken coop book with a step-by-step guide, and these are the 6 things I got from the book “Diy Chicken Coops” by John White.

1. Plan Before You Build

This means the inside as well as the outside. Chickens are messy and stinky so I was able to choose materials that I could easily clean and disinfect. Some like to hose out their coop and that can make a real problem if you don’t have some place to hose the manure to; I prefer to use wood shaving and composting. I had to consider these items that go inside a coop:

Number of Chickens – Where I live, zoning limited us to 6 chickens. Consider your Zoning if applicable. It’s easier to build larger than you need to start then it is to try and “remodel” to increase the number of chickens.

Feeders

Heating and/or Cooling, Insulation

Watering Instruments

Perches

Nests

2. Make Your Chicken Coop Fit In Your Surroundings

The coop should blend into the neighborhood and especially your own yard. Color, design, and location should be carefully considered before you begin building.

3. Ventilation and Odor Control

Keep the coop or hen house well ventilated or you will find that as the chickens poop the ammonia created by the decaying manure can cause health problems for the chickens and yourself. Windows can help with both lighting and ventilation.

4. Feeders and Waterers

Build Your Own Chicken Coop

My neighbor went out and purchased a ready-made coop and attached pen area to hold about 4-5 chickens. It really was very expensive and very small! Half of the chickens were dead within 6 months. The watering pan was on the ground and the chickens not only walked through the water, scratched dirt into it, but pooped in it too. Feed is just thrown in the pen area each day. Feeders and water trays should not be left on the floor of the coop or pen areas, but raised up enough so the chickens have to reach up to feed and drink.

5. Location, Location, Location

Don’t build your coop in the shade! Chickens are most happy when in the sunlight. Follow the direction of the sun and build your coop with windows that face it; however don’t let the sunlight shine directly on the chickens and use windows that can open for ventilation. Use good interior lighting so the chickens will keep laying all year round.

6. Protecting Your Flock

Building your coop and pen where the soil is firm and easily drained from incriminate weather will protect the chickens from diseases and other animals. The pen or chicken wire should be placed at least a foot deep into the ground to protect the chickens from dogs, cats, wolves, ect., as they will dig under the fence to get to them.

If this seems far more complicated than you expected to attempt a project like this without a proper guidance because it is more likely you will end up with a half completed project and hundreeds of dollars wasted. If you are new to this i rcommend this guide with building plans as it is a easy step by step guide for beginners .